Cole Bishop (born October 24, 2002) is an American professional football safety for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah Utes.
Early life Bishop attended Starr's Mill High School in Fayetteville, Georgia. He committed to the University of Utah to play college football.
College career As a true freshman at Utah in 2021, Bishop played in 10 games and started the final six. He finished the year with 54 tackles and three sacks. As a sophomore in 2022, he started 13 of 14 games and led the team with 83 tackles and had one interception and 1.5 sacks. He returned to Utah for his junior year in 2023.
Professional career
Bishop was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 60th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. He spent the majority of his rookie season as a backup to Damar Hamlin, but started on occasion. Bishop later won the starting safety spot in his sophomore season, playing alongside Taylor Rapp until the latter's season-ending injury. He caught his first career interception against the New Orleans Saints, foiling the Saints' attempt at executing their own version of the Philly Special. Bishop played a major role in the Bills' win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, leading the team in tackles and forcing a turnover on downs.
Bishop's play improved noticeably throughout his second season, with Sports Illustrated attributing it to mentorship from veteran teammate Jordan Poyer. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, who analyzed Bishop's play, wrote that Bishop became more confident and aware later in the season, taking advantage of his athleticism to make plays after struggling with positioning himself earlier on. Bishop totaled 85 tackles (53 solo), three interceptions, seven passes defensed, and two sacks in his sophomore season. In the playoffs, he made a crucial interception of Trevor Lawrence during the Bills' Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, sealing Buffalo's first road playoff win since 1992.
On June 18, 2026, it was announced that Bishop had undergone surgery on his left knee, but would be expected to return in training camp.
Career statistics LegendBoldCareer high NFL Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR 2024 BUF 16 4 40 25 15 1 0.0 2 0 0 — 0 0 1 0 2025 BUF 17 17 85 53 32 4 2.0 7 3 16 5.3 12 0 0 0 2026 BUF 4 4 25 15 10 0 0.0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0Career 37 25 150 93 57 5 2.0 9 3 16 5.3 12 0 1 0
Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR 2024 BUF 3 1 13 10 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2025 BUF 2 2 14 9 5 2 0.0 1 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0Career 5 3 27 19 8 2 0.0 1 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0
College
Year Team GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Cmb Solo Ast TFL Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR 2021 Utah 11 55 35 20 9.0 3.0 5 0 0 — 0 0 0 1 2022 Utah 14 83 47 36 6.0 1.5 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 2023 Utah 11 60 35 25 6.5 3.0 4 2 10 5.0 9 0 1 2 Career 36 198 117 81 21.5 7.5 12 3 10 3.3 9 0 1 4
References
External links Buffalo Bills bio Utah Utes bio